Alamance County’s voters will have six candidates to choose from, one Democrat and one Republican for each of three open seats on the county’s district court bench, in the November 5 general election.
District court judges have the potential to affect the lives of nearly every Alamance County resident who encounters the local court system, be it for a traffic ticket, divorce, child custody/child support, an adoption, or any number of civil and criminal cases that are initially heard in district court.
All of the candidates tout their foundation in practical aspects of the law and prior experience in Alamance County district courts, either as an assistant prosecutor or a defense attorney.
Candidates Meredith Edwards, Doug Green, and Craig Turner previously worked as Alamance County assistant district attorneys.
Two other candidates for district court judge, Natalie Jones and Bryan Ray, have worked primarily in private practice, representing clients in civil and criminal cases. Candidate Bryan Norris previously worked as an appellate judicial law clerk for judges and justices at the state’s Court of Appeals and N.C. Supreme Court.
Two Democratic candidates, Green and Norris, would appear to have the advantage of incumbency, after having been appointed earlier this year by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to fill two vacancies on Alamance County’s district court bench.
Cooper appointed Green on February 15 to serve the remaining eight months of the term of former district court judge Rick Champion, who was appointed as the county’s first public defender in December 2023. Green was sworn into office in March 2024; and the full-four year term (for seat three) will appear on the ballot for the general election.
Cooper appointed Norris on April 30 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Alamance County district court judge Brad Allen until an election could be held. Norris was sworn into office in May. The two-year unexpired term for that judgeship (seat one) will also appear on the ballot for the general election.
Incumbent Democratic judges Larry D. Brown, Jr. and Kathryn (Katie) W. Overby are running unopposed for the second and fourth district court judges’ seats, respectively.
Each candidate for the three open district court judgeships was asked to outline his or her qualifications, judicial philosophy, and specific positions on issues that he or she is likely to face if elected.
Seat 1
Running for the partial, two-year term on the district court bench created by Allen’s resignation are Norris and Ray. The unexpired term for seat one on Alamance County’s district court bench runs through 2027.
Asked what about his background makes him more qualified to serve than his opponent, the Democratic candidate Norris pointed to the fact that he’s currently serving as an Alamance County district court judge. “I’ve presided over every type of civil district court case,” says Norris. “I’ve reviewed and helped appellate judges and justices decide civil cases of every stripe, including major constitutional cases. And I’ve been a civil litigator in civil superior court statewide, the NC Business Court, and federal district court.”
A partner in the Doby & Ray law firm in downtown Graham specializing in family law and other areas, the Republican candidate Ray says his experience with representing defendants in civil and criminal cases exemplifies s his judicial philosophy.
“Throughout my career, I have tried virtually every type of case a district court judge presides over,” Ray elaborates. “This experience has allowed me to represent people from all walks of life. This gives me a unique perspective to understand not only the complexity of these issues, but the people involved and will allow me to render justice accordingly. I believe my experience in both criminal and civil court matters.”
Asked what qualities a judge must have in order to be effective, Ray says, “consistency, knowledge of the law, professionalism.”
Norris lists, “Humility; dedication to the law and the service of others; and fairness to everyone that appears in the courtroom.”
The two contenders to serve out the remaining portion of Allen’s term on the district court judge were also asked to outline their priorities.
Ray says, “For the last eleven years, I have represented the citizens of this county in both criminal and family law court. Throughout that time, I have employed three principles: honesty, understanding, and dedication.”
Norris says, “I want to help people: to help children live in safe and stable homes and help parents provide those homes to children; to help victims by keeping them safe; and to help the public by treating the accused fairly while also holding them to account if convicted.”
Seat 3
Running for the third seat on the county’s district court bench are Green and Turner, who also serves as an Alamance County commissioner. Turner’s potential elevation to the district court bench also would create a vacancy on the county’s board of commissioners.
Green, the Democratic candidate, is currently serving out Champion’s remaining term, which expires this year. He previously ran in 2020 against Champion, another one of his former colleagues during his tenure in the Alamance County D.A.’s office; following his loss to Champion, Green joined a private law firm before going to work as an assistant state attorney general. The third district court seat is a full, four-year term.
Turner, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and Republican candidate for the third seat on the district court bench, also served as an assistant D.A. from 2017 to 2018. He also previously worked in private practice and currently serves as a court-appointed criminal defense attorney in Alamance County district court.
Turner notes, “I have argued motions and tried cases for [14] years in courts ranging from small claims court, to federal court, to the N.C. Business Court, where I also served as a law clerk to two judges.”
Asked what makes him more qualified than his opponent to serve as a district court judge, Turner lists his “extensive experience as a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and civil litigator,” adding, in 14 years, he has been the lead counsel on hundreds of cases with varying complexity.
For his part, Green points to his 26 years’ courtroom experience as the reason why he’s more qualified for the third district court seat than his opponent Turner.
As an assistant D.A. from 2017 until 2020, Green says he prosecuted jury trials in criminal superior court and bench trials in both district and superior court; and from 2020 to 2023, he represented criminal defendants in district and superior courts. “Since the beginning of my career in 1998, I have been primarily [a] civil litigator,” Green elaborates. “I have had over 20 civil jury trials [as an attorney for plaintiffs and defendants]. I have participated in many hearings, mediations, and depositions and have argued in front of appellate court. Closer to Alamance County, I have practiced in many civil matters in all courtrooms, including DSS cases and [juvenile] delinquency cases.”
Turner says he models his judicial philosophy on that of former U.S. Supreme Court justice George Sutherland, who once wrote: “The twofold aim of the law is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer.”
“As a former prosecutor, I know that tough and fair judges are important to maintaining law and order,” Turner explains. “I will promote justice by adhering to the law, not trying to make it. I will be tough but professional, courteous, and fair.”
Green describes his judicial philosophy as one committed to following the law in “ALL circumstances,” in addition to being transparent, fair, impartial, and allowing everyone to be heard. “I have over 25 years of courtroom litigation experience,” he adds. “For the past eight months, I have had the pleasure of serving the citizens of Alamance County as district court judge. I am well versed in the areas of the law that are necessary to carry out my duties.”
One area that the two candidates for the third district court seat agree on is the need for additional personnel, though they differ on which areas of the court system and law enforcement need additional staffing.
Turner believes more staff is needed in the jail and in local law enforcement. “We need to encourage the retention, training, and recruitment of Alamance county detention officers, bailiffs, patrol officers, and clerks to ensure courts run safely and efficiently,” he says.
Green, on the other hand, believes that more people are needed to provide assistance with mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence issues. “Alamance County will be receiving a Recovery Court,” he explains. “Hopefully, this court will be utilized to help those defendants who have addictions and decrease the recidivism. Also, [RHA Health Services] has added a mental health office so that those with mental health issues can be transported to receive help instead of going to jail. However, Alamance County needs more resources dedicated to victims of domestic violence.”
Asked about his campaign’s three main issues, Turner says, “I have significant courtroom experience in civil and criminal law. I will serve with the work ethic of a military officer. I will treat everyone with dignity and respect, like I have as a commissioner.”
Describing his campaign’s three main issues, Green says, “I believe that our judicial system should be free from influences, and the law should be followed in all circumstances; the people that come into my courtroom will be heard, treated with respect, and will know the reasons [why I] ruled a particular way.”
Seat 5
Two courtroom veterans, Republican Meredith Edwards and Democrat Natalie Jones, will face each other in the general election for the fifth seat on the county’s district court bench that was created as part of the biennial budget that the General Assembly passed in the fall of 2023.
That judgeship was funded based on a formula used by the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts, which is based on case volume and workload, and determines which counties receive additional district court judges first, state senator Amy Galey explained in an interview with The Alamance News following passage of the biennial state budget last fall. The state budget called for the county’s fifth judge to be elected during the November 5 general election.
Edwards and Jones share similar views and courtroom experience – albeit on different sides of the court room.
Edwards has 17 years’ courtroom experience, 11 of which were as an Alamance County assistant district attorney. She was elected to serve as the county’s clerk of court in 2018 and reelected to a second, four-year term in 2022 – potentially creating a vacancy in that office in the event that Edwards is elected to the fifth seat on the county’s district court bench next month.
Edwards says of her courtroom experience: “As the clerk [of court], I am the record keeper for criminal courts and…as an ADA, I worked in both district andsSuperior courts handling all levels of misdemeanor and felony cases and also prosecuted both adult and juvenile cases.
“As the clerk of court,” Edwards adds, “I am the record keeper for civil courts and have the honor to preside over a variety of civil matters: probate and contested estate proceedings, adoptions, incompetency and guardianship cases, special proceeding real estate cases and specific civil cases before the clerk.”
Jones has 22 years’ experience in the courtroom, representing indigent defendants in criminal and civil cases. She says her practice has primarily centered on “serving our most vulnerable citizens, those citizens who are not able to hire private counsel due to income restraints.”
Each candidate describes her judicial philosophy as one committed to following the law as written, while exercising judicial discretion based on the circumstances of any given cases that may come before her.
Asked what about her background makes her more qualified to serve than her opponent, Edwards pointed to her experience as an assistant D.A. and as clerk of court, which she says “have given me a unique opportunity to examine and understand the judicial system from a variety of perspectives…and an advantage to improve [the court system].”
Jones points to her experience working as a self-employed defense attorney, as well as her service in the U.S. Navy, which she says taught her to never leave a job undone.
Jones says, “I have far more trial experience than my opponent, who has only been a part of one jury trial in her 11 years in the prosecutor’s office, opposed to my 20 plus jury trials as a defense attorney. My opponent has zero in defense work. I have practiced in every area of law in district court, my opponent has not.”
Asked what are the most important qualities a judge needs to have in order to be effective, Jones listed the “ability to understand and follow the law”; a “desire to do what is fair and proper based on the” facts of the case; and an ability to be compassionate.
Edwards similarly outlined “knowledge of the law”; “efficiently managing court dockets”; and “treating litigants with compassion.”
Both candidates were also asked to opine on what areas within the judiciary and law enforcement need improvement, and what suggestions they have. Jones says, “Effective use of court time.”
For her part, Edwards points to “trauma-informed approaches and recovery courts, particularly in district courts” as potential improvements that she feels could benefit Alamance County’s court system.
Asked to outline her campaign’s three main issues, Edwards lists: “Current efforts to add recovery courts to support defendants with substance abuse”; adopting “trauma-informed practices and seeking trauma-informed training for how judges address litigants”; and collaboration “to develop processes that promote and restore the public’s trust of the judiciary.”
Says Jones, “I will be available to deal with as many cases as possible during the court day; I will use court time wisely, and I will be respectful to the attorneys and citizens of Alamance County!”
Edwards is the only candidate among the six candidates for district court judge who acknowledges having had a complaint filed against her with the North Carolina State Bar or the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission. “I recall responding to a Bar Complaint a number of years ago when I was in the DA’s office,” Edwards says. “This is not unusual as rarely are a prosecutor’s actions without disappointment to someone. Nothing came of this incident, and I do not recall any specifics about this circumstance.”
Candidate biographies appear here: https://alamancenews.com/meet-the-candidates-for-alamance-county-district-court-judge/Responses to the newspaper’s issues questionnaire HERE.
